Technology in context

Daft Punk-
daft punk are one of the most renowned and most creative electronic artist's to this date. They are known for always putting on futuristic high technology shows with complex and funky melodies that always captivate their audiences. some of the technology they use consists of: Ableton live, minimoog Voyagers, Behringer BCR2000 and more. All of their technology is controlled in a big super computer which they use when performing live. Also their lighting and Audio Visuals are all manipulated by the same super computer at the same time


Travis Scott-
Travis Scott is currently one of HipHop/R&B/Trap's biggest names. this is because he has managed to create a sound that is very distinctive and addicting to his fans. This is partly to do with his production techniques, but Also the technology he uses on his voice (AutoTune) is what gives Travis Scott his trademark sound which everyone recognises him for. wether its an ad-lib or a whole verse or a hook, as soon as you hear Travis Scott you know its him straight away. A combination of this with his ecstatic live performance is what makes him so electrifying and captivating as a entertainer


One way I have used technology in a performance is through using Ableton live. I found this effective because, I feel like my style is one that is more suitable to be crafted in a DAW than actually performed live. However through using Ableton Live you have much more freedom to manipulate the performance in many different ways. I.E EQ ,Reverb or Delay. You also have the ability to sing a melody which is then transformed into midi for any instrument you like.

I also feel like I'm influenced by Artists like Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Travis Scott who have pathed the way for live auto-tune performances in HipHop and also explored Auto-Tune in a time where it wasn't really understood and made it complex to the stage where it could show emotion and even influence the style of a lot of new/upcoming Artists

Tech Theatre

Todays lesson me and sara were editing the audio we will use for our music video. we were editing the song "OK Alright", by Travis Scott. i found it a little bit tricky because the key parts of the song which we were trying to use, weren't playing smoothly, so to fix this issue I decided to add a little bit of reverb onto the track to that the audio could be elongated a bit more and then I used the Automation to bring down one part and bring up another. this allowed the edit to overall sound more clean and professional so it wont distract the viewer from the overall piece.

presentation

I believe I am progressing and doing well in is my composition class. I feel I have developed further in terms of musical content that I would implement throughout my pieces, my ability to play the piano has also improved allowing me to play more complex and detailed sequences throughout my composition. this has also helped me in other circumstances for example band workshop. Usually in my band workshop classes, I would play drums however I've been put in a group where I am needed to play a synth using keys. I was able to compose and confidently play a complicated baseline because of my progression playing keyboard from my composition lessons. There are also examples of progression in my composition uploads to Soundcloud.                                                                                                                                                                                            

I also feel I'm doing well in my DJing classes, this is because I feel like I am progressing quickly and understanding the concepts that we are being taught and applying them successfully to my own mixes. I have also been able to learn an effective range of different skills from beat-matching to cutting to using EQ.                                                                                                                                                                                           

For my final major project for term 3 i was thinking of creating an EP with a few songs and getting some ppl to feature. it would be uploaded online and people would be able to access it through using websites such as soundcloud. it will also be publicised through social media. I also have the idea of showcasing the EP in a DJ set but I'm not too sure about that yet. Ive also had other thoughts I.E live performances but I'm not sure about that 

Music video prep (technical theatre)

In todays lesson we were searching for appropriate venues to film. we decided to film in kings cross outside of the Google headquarters. we had previously decided to film it in London bridge but we realized it would be too much of a safety hazard so we changed the location. We chose the location outside kings cross because it has a very aesthetic look. it has some tree's, grass areas, tables and chairs and a fountain running through the middle. the scenery matched the theme about romance and because it looked so nice, it would contrast more with the scene.

Tech Theatre Muisc Video

In todays lesson we worked in pairs and created a storyboard. I worked with Sara. we created a concept about conflict within a relationship. we had to plan out what should take place with the timings. we decided to focus on using lots of abstract scenes with slow motion and close ups, to emphasize the emotion and feeling of the characters in the piece. The song for this piece is "OK Alright by travis scott"

Decades Playlist Review

Niamh-
I Liked the chords used in this track they were simple yet effective. the reverb creates an ambient atmosphere and gives the effect of more space allowing the track to breathe and allowing more sounds to travel through. I felt the tone of her voice compliments the song really nicely. there wasn't too much effects so it contrasted the drum kit and gave the song a more rustic feel.


Andre-
I Liked the baseline in this song. The tremolo with the organ was also nice it created a calm atmosphere that allows u to vibe with the song. the 808's held the song together like glue and the use of a lower frequency sound to contrast with the higher frequency sounds of the organ and hi hats and snare was refreshing to the ears


Amina-
I liked the structure of the song and the complexity of the piano used throughout. however I feel like the filter on her voice is too harsh and takes away the quality of her singing fro, the listener. The vocals is one of the main ways the listener connects with the artist which is why its so important to get the balance in the mix right. I would suggest taking of the filter and using reverb instead to create a more airy and spacey atmosphere, I feel like that would compliment the song well. The lyrics used are nice.


Tenika-
I really liked the instrumental for the intro however I felt like the drums were an anti climax and the song would of been better without drums. The piano and strings create a passionate vibe and the lyrics used shows her development in songwriting. I liked the pause used in the song as well. I would suggest that she puts in a bridge just to change the dynamics of the song so it doesn't become boring. 

Janzen-
I really liked the synth pad and chords at the beginning. the build up is also extremely effective and I liked how the genre switched from dance/electronica to trap when he added the 808's on the drop. 


evaluation-
my technical skills have improved a lot, being able to hear where there are errors in my music has become a lot more easier, allowing me to compose more effectively. I have also learnt new skills like the flex tool which helps majorly when I'm composing songs using audio. also the fade tool has helped because I can now record audio and make it sound clean with no pops or unwanted noises. my best skill which I have learnt is beat matching and mixing in our DJ class. because I can now effectively mix and DJ at any events or parties. Overall I enjoyed the decades project I feel like it has greatly helped in developing techniques which I will now employ in y production. techniques from other decades can sometimes compliment my music depending on the genre and the mood of the song. my favourite part of the project was learning how to use the ESX24 sampler and loading you're own audio and being able to create a piece using the sample loaded into the keys

Performers Essay

DJ KHALED

DJ Khaled, Originally known as Khaled Mohamed Khaled was born on November 26th 1975. He is an establishes DJ, Record Producer, Radio Personality and Record Label Executive. He has collaborated with a number of successful artists including Birdman, Drake and Nas

In the video i found of him performing, he used two turntables, a pioneer mixer and his laptop. his setup is mixed with both older and newer technology. I think this is because he stays within the style of hiphop which birthed DJing so he wants to stay close to the original way. DJ Khaled is uses his own ad-libs which he has chopped up and he uses these to hype up and interest with the crowd. He also effectively mixes tracks and Puts in quite a lot of scratching to make his performances more interesting and engaging. He also doesn't talk much but will sometimes have an MC at his performances swell to hype up the crowd even further by creating more energy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAvSWnAIv_o

DRAKE

born October 24, 1986, Aubrey Drake Graham AKA Drake, is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor.Drake released his debut studio album Thank Me Later in 2010, which debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and was soon afterwards became certified platinum. His next two releases were 2011's Take Care and 2013's Nothing Was the Same, with certifications of quadruple and triple platinum. This also earn't him his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. 

Drake has a few different ways of performing to his crowd. Sometimes he will take moments in his performance to come with loads of energy and jump around the stage. He also does a lot of call and response. i also feel that the way the he orders his songs is very precise because he knows how to get the right reaction from the crowd. He also takes moments in between songs or during songs to talk to and have a conversation with the crowd. i feel that this technique is effective because it allows the crowd to feel as if they are part of the performance because he is fully talking to them. he also trys to make all of his music relate to all of his fans with this technique as well. (41:00)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81OqCa107mg



I think i would employ the same technique as DJ khaled when he has the adlivs that he plays over his set this is just to help build up the atmosphere. I would also use scratching because the genre of music that i DJ is hiphop so the scratching would compliment it nicely because it derives from that genre. i also liked the way he created a loop but playing a little section of a track on one deck and switching the fader to the other track and playing that same section and going back and forth. that was a technique that came from some of the original DJ's such as DJ Kool-Herc so it was cool to see the same techniques still being employed in performances today.